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Russian Circles
Russian Circles are an instrumental post-rock/post-metal band hailing from Chicago, Illinois. Formed initially by DeKuiper, Sullivan and Turncrantz in the wake of their previous bands respective dissolutions (dakota/dakota and Riddle of Steel) the group formed in late 2004 and gained quick buzz, eventually leading to critical acclaim with the likes of studio albums such as "Enter" and "Geneva" along with touring the world all over, employing a heavily dynamic and intense instrumental rock sound. Barring two songs in their discography ("Praise Be Man" on 2011's Empros and "Memorial" on 2013's Memorial) all of the band's music is instrumental. The band's name stems from a drill exercise used in ice hockey, a sport Sullivan and Turncrantz grew up playing in their original hometown of St. Louis. History Enter Russian Circles (2004 - 2006) Russian Circles formed in late 2004 by DeKuiper, Sullivan and Turncrantz after their respective bands broke up. Sullivan and DeKuiper were previously part of the eclectic instrumental rock group dakota/dakota while Turncrantz was previously part of emo/post-hardcore band Riddle of Steel. Quickly composing four songs for their initial EP Russian Circles the band began to create a buzz around the Illinois area and the midwest, quickly selling out 500 copies over the span of two pressings, with a third pressing of 500 CDs to follow. 2005 would see them performing a host of different shows in the Chicago area before the trio would sign to Flameshovel for their debut album. The next year saw the band doing a quick tour of the United States with Minus the Bear which included an appearance at SXSW, before following with a string of shows alongside Pelican and MONO in support of their first album Enter, released on 16 May 2006 to positive reviews with the band gaining praise on the live stage as well. The band quickly signed to Suicide Squeeze and followed with a 7" entitled Upper Ninety on 25 July 2006 before the band would close out the year with an extensive fall tour alongside P.O.S., The Velvet Teen and Minus The Bear. DeKuiper's departure and Suicide Squeeze (2007 - 2010) The band had guitar and drums tracks lined up at the time for their follow-up album to Enter, set for a 2008 release. On 26 October 2007 it would be announced that Russian Circles had officially signed with Suicide Squeeze and had also recruited Brian Cook (Botch, These Arms Are Snakes) as a temporary replacement after Colin DeKuiper departed from the group.LambgoatAccessed 4 January 2018 While Botchy Vasquez (Sweet Cobra) and Cook did serve as fill-in bassists, eventually Cook would take on the role as the band's full-time bassist.MetalsucksAccessed 4 January 2018 In an interview via Metalsucks, Cook would describe the process of joining the group: After two short USA tours with Dälek and Red Sparowes the band's second studio album Station would see release on 6 May 2008 to positive reviews and peaking at 36 on the US Heatseekers chart. A full North American tour would follow along with a tour of Europe with These Arms Are Snakes, to which bassist Brian Cook performed with both bands. A split LP of both bands was released in time for this tour via Sargent House Records. The band had their sights set on a third album and thus began work on it immediately after touring. Recorded in May 2009 with Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines and expanding further on the band's sound, Geneva was released on 20 October 2009 to further critical acclaim. A forty date North American tour would follow with a host of supporting acts, with further touring to follow into the next year. In an article via Metalsucks on Russian Circles' blog, bassist Brian Cook describes the contrasts between Geneva and Station: Mike Sullivan would also add perspective on the ideas of expanding beyond the live-in-the-studio sound established by earlier efforts in an interview with Music Radar: Sargent House, Empros and Memorial (2011 - 2015) Russian Circles would begin work on their fourth album in January 2011. Having previously worked with Sargent House for vinyl editions of their albums, the band had announced on 1 April 2011 that they were now signed to Sargent House for exclusive worldwide distribution by the Spring with their fourth album being the first release on the label, working again with Brandon Curtis as producer.LambgoatAccessed 4 January 2018 Empros was released on 25 October 2011. Stripping down the expanded elements of the last record but still maintaining an intricate, complex sound (Or in Sullivan's words: "intentionally made this album something that just us three, we can reproduce live, more or less.")Guitar WorldAccessed 5 January 2018 and even featuring a song with vocals, Empros was heavily praised by critics at the time. The band would tour worldwide in support through the remainder of 2011 into 2012 alongside Deafheaven. With two short tours to follow the band began work on a follow-up set for a 2013 release. Memorial saw release on 29 October 2013 to further critical acclaim. The title track would be the second song in the band's history to feature a vocalist, this time one Chelsea Wolfe (Who would even perform the song with the band on the following European tour together). The band toured heavily in support of Memorial over the next three years, including appearances in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore along with regular United States, Canada and European dates. Guidance and Blood Year (2016 - Present) In 2015 the trio would work with Kurt Ballou and GodCity Studios for their sixth studio album after a three-year gap. On 23 May 2016 the band would unveil their first single "Vorel" off the forthcoming sixth albumLambgoatAccessed 5 January 2018, with two more singles ("Mota" and "Afrika") revealed to follow along with a tour of Europe leading up to the album's release.LambgoatLambgoat Guidance saw it's release on 5 August 2016 to substantial critical acclaim and peaking at 3 on the US Heatseekers chart. The band's evolution deviated into darker, punchier sounds. With the longest gap in the band's touring cycle to compose the record and a long period of waiting between the recording and release, drummer Dave Turncrantz explained the making of Guidance in an interview with Reverb: 2016 would see the band tour extensively in support of Guidance with headlining tours of the United States and Europe, followed by spending a year on the road supporting Mastodon in support of their most recent record "Emperor of Sand". While the band had self-released live records in the past, Sargent House would release the band's first official live album Live at Dunk!Fest on 7 April 2017. Following a string of further touring in support of Guidance, Russian Circles would work on their seventh studio album in the Spring of 2019. On 21 May 2019 the band would premiere a new song in "Arluck" and announce their seventh studio album Blood Year, set for release on 2 August via Sargent House. A string of European dates along with a North American tour would be announced.Russian Circles Facebook Blood Year would notably peak at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.Russian Circles Facebook Discography Studio Albums * Enter (2006, Friction Records, Flameshovel) * Station (2008, Suicide Squeeze) * Geneva (2009, Suicide Squeeze) * Empros (2011, Sargent House) * Memorial (2013, Sargent House) * Guidance (2016, Sargent House) * Blood Year (2019, Sargent House) Misc. Releases * Russian Circles (EP) (2004, Self-Released) * Live At Schubas 05/27/2005 (Live Album) (2005, Re: Live) * Upper Ninety (EP) (2006, Suicide Squeeze) * These Arms Are Snakes / Russian Circles (Split with These Arms Are Snakes) (2008, Sargent House) * Live At Park Ave CDs (Live Album) (2008, Self-Released) * Live at Dunk!Fest 2016 (Live Album) (2017, Sargent House) Members * Mike Sullivan - Guitar (2004 - Present) * Dave Turncrantz - Drums (2004 - Present) * Botchy Vasquez - Live Bass (2008 East Coast Tour) * Brian Cook - Bass (2007 - Present) * Colin DeKuiper - Bass (2004 - 2007) Tours * Enter North American Tour (With Minus The Bear, Chin Up Chin Up) (2006)Russian Circles MySpace * Pelican / MONO Tour (With Pelican, MONO) (2006)PunkNewsAccessed 31 December 2017 * Fall 2006 North American Tour (With Minus The Bear, P.O.S., The Velvet Teen) (2006)Lambgoat * 2007 Spring North American Tour (With Pelican, Young Widows) (2007)Lambgoat * Death Is This Communion UK / Europe Tour (With High on Fire) (2007)BlabbermouthAccessed 31 December 2017 * 2008 Spring East Coast North American Tour (With Dälek) (2008)LambgoatAccessed 2 January 2018 * 2008 Spring West Coast North American Tour (With Red Sparowes) (2008)Lambgoat * Station North American Tour (With Daughters) (2008)LambgoatAccessed 2 January 2018 * Station European Tour (With These Arms Are Snakes) (2008)Lambgoat * 2008 Winter North American Tour (With Clutch, Viking Skull) (2008)Lambgoat * 2009 Spring North American Tour (With Lichens, Sweet Cobra) (2009)Lambgoat * 2009 June North American Tour (With Coliseum) (2009)Lambgoat * Geneva North American Tour (With Coliseum, Young Widows, Helms Alee, Git Some, The Phantom Family Halo) Lambgoat * Geneva European Tour (2010)Lambgoat * Boris 2010 North American Tour (With Boris; some dates canceled)LambgoatLambgoat * 2010 Fall North American Tour (With Keelhaul, Call Me Lightning) Lambgoat * Hope 2011 World Tour (With Boris, Saade) (2011)Last.fm * 2011 Australasia Tour (2011)Last.fm * Russian Circles / Deafheaven Tour (USA) (With Deafheaven) (2011)Lambgoat * Russian Circles / Deafheaven Tour (Europe) (With Deafheaven) (2012)Lambgoat * 2012 West Coast North American Tour (With And So I Watch You From Afar) (2012)Lambgoat * 2012 East Coast North American Tour (With Chelsea Wolfe) (2012)Lambgoat * 2013 North American Tour (With Between The Buried and Me, Coheed and Cambria) (2013)Lambgoat * Memorial European Tour (With Chelsea Wolfe) (2013)Last.fm * Memorial North American Tour (With KEN Mode, Inter Arma, Helms Alee) (2014)Lambgoat * Memorial Australian Tour (2014) * Memorial Japan / Singapore / Hong Kong Tour (2014)Last.fm * Memorial Canadian Tour (With Atlas Moth) (2014)Lambgoat * Russian Circles / Mutoid Man Mini-Tour (With Mutoid Man) (2014)Lambgoat * 2015 West Coast North American Tour (With Mammifer) (2015)Last.fm * 2015 European Tour (With Helms Alee) (2015)Lambgoat * 2015 European Mini-Tour (2015) * 2015 North American Mini-Tour (With Cloakroom) (2015)Lambgoat * 2016 European Tour (2016)Lambgoat * Guidance North American Tour (With Helms Alee, Cloakroom) (2016)Lambgoat * Guidance European Tour (With Helen Money) (2016)Lambgoat * Guidance 2017 European Tour (With Cloakroom) (2017)Lambgoat * 2017 Spring North American Tour (With Mastodon, Eagles of Death Metal) (2017)Lambgoat * 2017 Fall North American Tour (With Mastodon, Eagles of Death Metal) Lambgoat * 2017 Fall European Tour (With Mastodon, Red Fang) (2017)Lambgoat * 2018 North American Tour (With King Woman) (2018)Russian Circles Facebook * 2018 European Tour (With Brutus) (2018)Russian Circles Facebook * 2018 Texas Mini-Tour (2018)Russian Circles Facebook * 2019 North American Tour (With Gouge Away) (2019)Russian Circles Facebook * 2019 Australian Tour (With We Lost The Sea & Tangled Thoughts of Leaving) (2019)Russian Circles Facebook * Blood Year European Tour (2019)Russian Circles Facebook * Blood Year North American Tour (With Facs, Windhand) (2019)Russian Circles Facebook * Blood Year Japan Tour (With Heaven In Her Arms) (2020)Russian Circles Facebook * Blood Year European Tour 2020 (With Torche) (2020)Russian Circles Facebook External Links Official Links *Facebook *Bandcamp Archival / Interview Links *Archived News via Lambgoat *2016 Interview via Culture Creature *2014 Interview via The Aquarian *2016 Interview via Music and Riots *2017 Interview via The Seventh Hex *2011 Interview via Guitar World *2010 Interview via Premier Guitar *2016 Interview via Destroy/Exist *2010 Interview via MusicRadar *2013 Interview via Bearded Gentlemen Music *2017 Interview via Effectsbay *2010 Interview via Scenepointblank *2014 Interview via The New Fury *2017 Interview via The Thin Air *2013 Interview via No Tricks, Just Treats *2016 Interview via Reverb References Category:Band Category:Post-metal Category:Post-Rock Category:Experimental Rock Category:Instrumental Category:Math Rock Category:Russian Circles Category:Chicago Category:Illinois Category:Sargent House Category:2004